colossal

[kuh-los-uhl]

adjective

1. extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge.

2. of or resembling a colossus.

3. (initial capital letter),  noting or pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building.

colossal

/ kəˈlɒsəl /

adjective

1. of immense size; huge; gigantic

2. (in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size Compare heroic

3. Also: giant. architect of or relating to the order of columns and pilasters that extend more than one storey in a façade

Other Word Forms

• colossally adverb
• colossality noun
• supercolossal adjective
• supercolossally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of colossal¹

First recorded in 1705–15; coloss(us) + -al ¹

Synonym Study

See gigantic.

Example Sentences

But experts have warned that its colossal cost could also lead to other concerns.

From BBC

Is a colossal turf war in the cards?

From Los Angeles Times

The campaign group Foxglove has warned that the UK could end up "footing the bill for the colossal amounts of power the giants need".

From BBC

"It was doing a colossal job of managing an expensive national debt among many different aspects so it was decided to demolish and rebuild."

From BBC

They were reinforcing pressure that had been well-established weeks earlier, on 3 August, when a colossal gathering marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in one of the largest political demonstrations ever held in Australia.

From BBC

Related Words

• enormous 
• gargantuan 
• gigantic 
• huge 
• immense 
• jumbo 
• mammoth 
• monstrous 
• vast 

When To Use

What does colossal mean?

Colossal describes something as being very large in size, degree, or amount, as in I went to a colossal shopping mall that stretched for a mile. If something is colossal, it is enormous, gigantic, or massive.Colossal can also be used to describe a large degree of something, that is, a large amount or a large extent, like a colossal amount of boxes or a colossal advantage in the playoffs.Less commonly, colossal describes something as resembling a colossus, which is a very large statue, as in The large man was so colossal that he blocked the entire doorway.Example: Tyrannosaurus rex was a colossal dinosaur that towered over many of the smaller animals.